Placing surface hosted items onto slab with multiple surface slopes

[Anonymous]

I am using "smart" families to input information into parking garage models for a client, and I have a few constraints I need to work around, and these are causing problems.  First of all, my slabs have many many "subelements" (specifically points) that I have created to match the elevations and shape with old architectural drawings, so my slab has a lot of interior edges.  This is necessary to match the accuracy the client needs, so this cannot be changed.  Now that my slabs are placed, I want to place things hosted on the slab face, such as a parking space family (3D object), or a slab crack family (Model Line), but the many polygon surfaces are messing with the placement and visibility of these elements.  When I place an object on one of the surfaces, it is placed on the face of the slab, at that polygon surface where I click.  If the item is larger than that specific polygon, as soon as it passes an interior edge and, assuming the next polygon slope increases, my item still maintains the hosted face associated with the single polygon surface I clicked on.  Basically my item becomes buried into the slab, instead of changing the slope and maintaining on the top surface of the slab at all times.

So, my question is as follows:  Is there any way to have a slab surface hosted family that will remain on the slab surface, even over interior edges, so it does not become "buried" in the slab or "floating" above the slab?  See image below.

You can see in the image above how the element is "buried" in the slab towards the back and "floating" towards the front.

Also, this problem creates a bigger issue, in that I cannot copy these elements onto a differently sloped surface.  See image below.

The warning in the bottom right corner reads:  Instance origin does not lie on host face. Instance will lose association to host.

I imagine what I need is not possible, but I don't understand why Revit can't seem to recognize a surface as a surface, instead of individual polygons.

Thanks

[ToanDN]

Use railing because they can follow the slope of the floor.

[Anonymous]

I don't think that will completely solve my problem, because like I mentioned, I'm using these parking spaces as "smart" models to utilize information.  See the full parking family I am currently using below.

The information goes into schedules, and I can choose ADA or EV, assign the spot to a level, etc.  I need more than just drawing lines on the slab.

[ToanDN]

The railing method is only for taking care of the striping when you have uneven floor.  You still place the "smart" parking family as usual, only turn off the flat striping elements.  Nothing would change in your calculations and schedules.

A bigger question is, do you really need to show them in 3D?  If not, make the striping thick enough so it never gets buried in the floor.  It really doesn't matter if the striping sticking up a bit, or does it?

[Anonymous]

The paint being 3D isn't really necessary.  It's just for the client, who wants to see everything in a 3D model.  I understand your point, and it is indeed a viable idea, and would be perfect if all of the 3D extrusions in the parking space family could become railings, but the time involved in all of the drawing would be too much to draw it all.  We're trying to stay with this "throw down one space, and repeat" idea.  If I could convert the existing lines into "railings" that would be spot on.  But I don't think converting an extrusion in a face based family into a railing is possible.

[ToanDN]

Creating the railing is not that bad of a deal, granted you already have the parking families laid out on plan.

Your family just needs to have a few reference planes @ the centers of the striping, which you may already have them covered.  Give the striping in the family a Visibility checkbox so that you can turn them off when needed.

Draw the railing sketch by picking the reference planes above.  You can even create one space and copy or array it to mass produce the layout.  They will all match the floor slopes automatically.

[chrisplyler]

If you make one Railing, with the sketch representing the stripes necessary for one parking spot, can host it to the Floor, then you can copy it all around easy as anything else.

This Railing has only the top rail set 1/4" above host.

[Anonymous]

So the ideas so far from you guys are good, but I'm not quite convinced railing is the ultimate answer for my parking space, but it is my best idea so far.  I have another issue though, that is related to this, but separate. 

I created a "Generic Model" family that is just a model line, to act as a "slab crack" family.  We do garage repairs, and this allows us to draw these lines on plan, and use the properties and types to create schedules and repair estimates.  Now, when viewing the 3D model, these lines are floating, because they aren't hosted to anything.  Now, with all this railing talk, I think that a railing may work for SOME of the issues, but not all...  First of all, I don't see a full "railing family" within Revit, so I can completely create my own; and second, I'm not sure if I could attach all the parameters I need to this family, because of the limitations that "it's just a railing"  I need 3 types within the family, I need it to be able to be labeled on plan automatically, survey date, repaired (checkbox) and other text parameters, etc.  Is this possible for a railing?  And if so, how?

I also would like it to be a polyline, so I can use the  properties of an individual "cracks" total length, instead of a bunch of single line sections, which is how the family I currently have works.

[ToanDN]

As I said above, use your parking family for reporting parking data.  Railing is only for striping on multi-slope surfaces.

As for the floor cracks, you can assign as many parameters to Railings category as you want.  Railing is a system family using various railing components.  Look in the family browser for Railing and expand it.  For a "crack" rail, you just need a single top rail without all the other posts, balusters, and anything else.

 

With that said, you can also do "crack" by a line based generic model and place them for each slope surface.  You can schedule several segments as one crack by grouping them using any means of identification.

You can even do it with adaptive family.  There are many ways to skin a cat.

[Anonymous]

I see what you're saying.  So pardon my low level of knowledge to Revit families, I mostly just build structural Revit models and don't have much time to explore, but I don't see a way to create a custom railing family and save it so I can use it in other projects.  I want a railing family I can call "slab crack" and have 3 types within the slab crack family, open crack, sealed crack and sealed crack (failed).  Then I can simply insert this into any project I have.  I have all this set up on a generic model that is just a model line when placed on a plan, but I cannot find a "handrail top family" for the life of me....I only see "internal" railings

[ToanDN]

You can transfer project standards to bring in the railing types from one project or template to another. Or copy paste.

[Anonymous]

So it will always be a "System Family: Railing"?  Just the separate types I create?

[ToanDN]

Yes.  Same as Walls, Floors, Ceilings, etc...

[Viveka_CD]

Hi @Anonymous

I just wanted to follow up here, any progress on this issue?

Please mark any posts that help with "Accept as Solution" and thanks!